Artsy

Chas Bowie, bastard that he is, left the Mercury a while ago to focus on some “personal projects.” If I ever leave the Mercury to work on “personal projects,” you can rest assured that what I’ll really be working on is a couple of well whiskeys at Union Jack’s; Chas, on the other hand, has […]

Here is what I like about art, with key words italicized: people producing something creative and then sharing it with other people. That’s exactly what Last Thursday in Alberta felt like last night. Diverse art + non-exclusive atmosphere + lots and lots of people. Thanks to a wonderful lack of top-down organization, anyone can just […]

If you like the Mercury‘s cover art this week… you should definitely be sure to check out these images from Dave Kinsey’s show that just opened June 13th at Lazarides, Newcastle UK. kinseyvisual.com

Get it? Hey there, alkie art boosters: Friendly reminder that tonight at the Lowbrow Lounge (1036 NW Hoyt) from 5 pm until close is the summer edition of Pints for PICA, at which a portion of all food and drink sales go to the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art—including 100% of the sales of Full […]

Summer is the best time to fall in love. So. I’m overjoyed that three of my favorite people, and four more I’m yet to meet, are telling unrehearsed, true, six-minute long stories tonight on the theme of summer love. Also, for those of you cynical and jaded enough about love to need extra motivation to […]

Art? So: I don’t know any thing about visual art. (The irony of the title “Arts Editor” is not lost on me.) And I would like to up our coverage of the visual art world here on Blogtown—it’s been getting short shrift since Chas Bowie departed. (If you miss him, he’s got a new website). […]

Untitled, from Sparrow Lane A few years ago, Holly Andres’ lush photographic series, Stories from a Short Street, seemed to be a ubiquitous presence in Portland galleries. For good reason, too: Andres’ laboriously staged, strangely evocative images at once conjure the supercharged narratives of Gregory Crewdson and the stylized surfaces of fashion spreads. Her new […]

Interesting news. Artists Repertory Theater has just announced the creation of a “resident acting company” of four actors who will appear in multiple shows next season, with a long-term goal of employing 8 resident actors. ART has struck me as floundering a bit lately, choosing tame shows while their directors phone it in (meanwhile Third […]

Every art opening has cheese and crackers – P.S.U.’s ART Department’s the only one I’ve ever been to featuring a candy-covered toilet. Yes, it’s a toilet artist Amanda James carved from styrofoam and mosaiced in mixed media (Twizzlers, life savers and marshmallows… delicious, delicious toilet) and it was my favorite from the P.S.U.’s end-of-year silent […]

Tonight and tomorrow at Hipbone Studios (1847 E Burnside), Portland State University students will be performing 5 one-acts by winners of the Northwest Universities Playwriting Competition. The shows are self-produced by PSU students hoping to bridge the gap between Portland’s burgeoning creative class, and its perception of the stuffiness and modern irrelevance of live theater. […]